Dalai Lama preaches peace to Maoists

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 11: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama today urged
Maoists to shun the path of violence as it was not a solution to their
problems.

"Of course, there is still exploitation in the society and due to
frustration and anger, people become violent," said the spiritual leader.

Staging demonstrations or dharnas was all right for solving problems but
violence was not the proper way to solve problems, he said.

The spiritual leader flew to Chandragiri, a Tibetan settlement in Gajapati
district affected by Maoist violence. Asked whether he was afraid to visit
the Maoist-hit district, the Dalai Lama's reply was an emphatic "No".

On the importance of peace and non-violence, he said: "Disagreement and
conflict among people is always there. But we need a method to solve it and
that method is through non-violence."

"Every one wants peace. Even former US president George Bush tried to
restore peace in Iraq, but he applied the wrong method of restoring peace
through force," said the Tibetan leader.

India had a tradition of non-violence and it was a democracy that stood for
equality and freedom, he said.

Stating that there were vast underdeveloped areas with a huge tribal
population in Orissa, Dalai Lama underscored the need for education, health
and training for the overall development of the state.

Real change should take place in rural India and not in some cities, said
the leader, asking people to develop themselves and not wait for government
measures.

During his stay in the Tibetan settlement, the Dalai Lama will inaugurate a
five-storeyed Buddhist monastery named Padma Sambhav Mahavihara, billed as
South Asia's biggest monastery.

The monastery has been built in Atanpuri style of architecture of Nalanda
over 10 acres and at a cost of Rs 8 crore.

It has been named after Acharya Padmasambhav who was born in Orissa and
believed to have spread Buddhism to Tibet in the seventh century.